Fender Precisions - they're fantastic

[WarPig]

[quote name='Jerry_B' post='741177' date='Feb 10 2010, 04:38 PM']Is unlined a real word...? If so, then yes I meant 'unlined' It'd be interesting to know how many were made by Fender, or what years they were for sale. You just don't see them very often.[/quote]

I see 'unlined' more often than 'unmarked', so ill stick with that.

Yeah they're a rarity, the closest fender seem to do is the Tony Franklin, which is a p/j.

Oh and thanks bh2, i got that bass from BC's 'steve', its a dream to play. Dimarzio pup, Piezo bridge, stack vol/tone...yum.

Edited February 10, 2010 by WarPig

[Low End Bee]

[quote name='Schnozzalee' post='740542' date='Feb 10 2010, 01:22 AM']I can't stand the P-bass, I love the vintage legacy en all but the sound is woolly, clanky at times and I just hear my finger squeaking and beating on the strings. Has a really boxey sound and it doesn't stand out whatsoever. I prefer something with a hell of a lot more drive - to my tastes bass should be as loud as guitar. I loathe being called the quiet one, if I played one of these I would never get noticed.

The neck doesn't feel too bad, but it decreasing speed of playing massively! I also prefer resting my thumb on the edge of a soapbar on a four, as an anchor, instead of a screw. I dont like the look either unless its sunburst, tort and rosewood (has to be rosewood!! or it sounds too thin) with ashtrays. I'd buy a 62 RI cos of the look when its slung low, but i'd end up selling it due to the weak sound. The PJ configuration sounds a lil better but again too wooly. Overrated massively, can get that sound on many a bass.[/quote]

Too right mate.
They should all go in the skip.

[OldGit]

[quote name='Low End Bee' post='741187' date='Feb 10 2010, 04:49 PM']Too right mate.
They should all go in the skip.[/quote]

I'll get one for just outside my house. Just drop them in..

[4-string-thing]

Finally got round to taking a few pics of my all original 77/78...

[attachment=44352:bass2.jpg]

[attachment=44351:bass1.jpg]

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='OldGit' post='741600' date='Feb 10 2010, 11:30 PM']I'll get one for just outside my house. Just drop them in..[/quote]

What like this?

[bartelby]

I've never really liked Precisions. They just felt too clunky, sloppy and meh!
I've used old and new Fenders and for the last 13 years had an 80s Squire '62 reissue, but I could never get on with any of them.
Until very recently!

Over the years, with the Squire, I've tried changing brands/types of strings, changing the action and such.
Then last week I ordered a set of Steve Harris Rotosounds. Stuck the strings on, reset the action and suddenly the bass was lovely!
There was decent tension on the strings and they rang nicely, without the harsh highs I'd heard for years.

I took it to the first practice of a band I've just joined and was in disbelief at how good it sounded and played!
There are still a couple of issues, like the bridge is knackered (the strings are misaligned) and the pickup is falling apart. But I've decided to invest in a new bridge and pickup next month and see how we go from there.

Of course, I know where this is heading. Despite not liking Precisions I've wanted a Steve Harris sig. bass for a couple of years...

[Davo-London]

You gotta respect the Precision. No question. I've got one but I don't play it. I bought my first P when I was 15 in 1976. Well my Dad bought it for £225 from Soho Soundhouse in Soho Square. I've still got that bass 33 years later. It was great for what basses are mostly used for, simple root accompaniment, and it cut through the mix and it records well too. It looks absolutely great IMHO. The sonic blue 1965 Precision in vintage and rare is a real beaut.

But try and ply chords, try and play lightning runs and you might come a cropper.

I have small hands and so a Jazz would have been a better choice.

Whatever, you gotta love em.

Davo

[OutToPlayJazz]

Precisions are definitely growing on me again at the moment. I'm definitely moving towards a thicker sound with my wooden basses since the Stingray arrived - I don't listen to a lot of popular music at all, but I love the Precision sound on this... I bought the "Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears" album on iTunes and it's fantastic. Bill Stevenson's sound is amazing!

Edited March 7, 2010 by OutToPlayJazz

[sshorepunk]

I never bothered with precisions for years! My first bass back in 1979 (I think?) was an unbranded sunburst P bass, I then moved onto a '72 Tele' bass (bought from the bass player from a local band, The Salford Jets!)
Then, my band, did a few gigs with Aziz Ibrahim, he wrote a few tunes with Ian Brown and when he does a "guest" spot with us, we sometimes do either My Star or Corpses. My Star is played on detuned bass and a P bass gets the right sound, so I got a Jap' P'bass off our guitarist for the job. Sounds great, although it does need a set up now, I kind of put up with it for a while (guitarists don't seem to wanna get basses set up to play good lol) but I love the sound of it and it's time to get it sorted (It's photoflame as well, not my bag really!). I will, at some point et one for myself, not gonna spend a lot of money, so will be a Jap or a Lakland Dunn (really like them!)
The jazz does remain my daily grind though!

[attachment=44374:p_bass.jpg]

[EskimoBassist]

I would love a P, but I don't see where I would rest my fingers as an anchor as I do when I play Jazz, on the pick ups. Anyone else encountered such a problem? Timmy C style finger rest?!!

[Musicman20]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='767365' date='Mar 7 2010, 09:42 PM']Precisions are definitely growing on me again at the moment. I'm definitely moving towards a thicker sound with my wooden basses since the Stingray arrived - I don't listen to a lot of popular music at all, but I love the Precision sound on this... I bought the "Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears" album on iTunes and it's fantastic. Bill Stevenson's sound is amazing!

[/quote]


Thats a great song. I heard it a few months back. Need to check out there album.

[LuvMusic]

A Yank making his first post in this forum! Definitely a P bass fan. Here is a pic of my MIM 60th Anniversary P:



And when I'm in a darker mood, my Squier Tele P bass with a mudbucker:



Cheers!

[lojo]

heard that song a while back, think it was on jools holland? bass playing and sound is real quality and no bridge pick up in sight

think I will check the album too

what colour is that P bass he's playing?

[lojo]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='767365' date='Mar 7 2010, 09:42 PM']I don't listen to a lot of popular music at all, but I love the Precision sound on this... I bought the "Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears" album on iTunes and it's fantastic. Bill Stevenson's sound is amazing! [/quote]


Are you saying that quo are not popular?

[Jigster]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='767365' date='Mar 7 2010, 09:42 PM']Precisions are definitely growing on me again at the moment. I'm definitely moving towards a thicker sound with my wooden basses since the Stingray arrived - I don't listen to a lot of popular music at all, but I love the Precision sound on this... I bought the "Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears" album on iTunes and it's fantastic. Bill Stevenson's sound is amazing!

[/quote]

any thoughts on the rig he's potentially using? valves in there somewhere i think, for a start ?

[lojo]

[quote name='Jigster' post='767631' date='Mar 8 2010, 09:42 AM']any thoughts on the rig he's potentially using? valves in there somewhere i think, for a start ?[/quote]

its a rh450 underneath (joke)

Please correct me, but I love that bass look as well as sound, is it honey blonde? what model is it?

Edited March 8, 2010 by lojo

[lojo]

[quote name='Jigster' post='767631' date='Mar 8 2010, 09:42 AM']any thoughts on the rig he's potentially using? valves in there somewhere i think, for a start ?[/quote]


Really digging this guy (and his bass) just viewed a few clips, he is using ampeg stuff in some of them

Again though, what P bass is it ?

[alanbass1]

Great song and the very sound that is at the top of my list, hence my love of P Basses

[Minky]

The Fender P is quite simply the world standard bass in terms of sound and appearance. It is verstatile, honest, robust and a genuine pleasure to play. Every bass out there whether you like it or not is built with the Fender P in mind from Alembic to Zen.

[27 frets]

[quote name='Jerry_B' post='740611' date='Feb 10 2010, 08:35 AM']One thing I'm always on the lookout for is an unmarked fretless Precision, as not many of them seem to be out there.[/quote]

How's this?

[attachment=45819:DSC_0594.JPG]

Mike Walsh (Zoot) put on a new ebony board on, to replace the original rosewood defretted fingerboard. Action is much better now, as the neck had always been a bit banana-shaped.

It's really chunky neck now though (even by P-bass standards)- but I play double bass, so everything is relative, and you get used to it.

Being a '70s body it's on the heavy side, but the black/translucent white colours work.

The pick-ups are SDs: I fitted the extra J - not the neatest job, but there's a lot of flexibility with the switches on the pick-ups.

The other bass is my Czech-made custom bass - however cool Precisions look, it definitely beats them in the looks department

Edited March 27, 2010 by 27 frets

[tombboy]

I've got a pristine American Vintage '62 in Oly White RW and tort.
It sounds and looks the mutts but I'm having trouble getting used to the neck width at the nut (44.5mm). So much so that I've been giving serious thought about moving it in a trade soon.

[bigevilman]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='767365' date='Mar 7 2010, 09:42 PM']Precisions are definitely growing on me again at the moment. I'm definitely moving towards a thicker sound with my wooden basses since the Stingray arrived - I don't listen to a lot of popular music at all, but I love the Precision sound on this... I bought the "Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears" album on iTunes and it's fantastic. Bill Stevenson's sound is amazing!

[/quote]

Is it just me...or does Joe Lewis look like he could be Chris Rock's brother?

I've gotta give it up for the P-bass. I used to have a re-issue when I was younger, can't remember what year it was, it was one of my first basses, and it was gorgeous. I wish now I hadn't got rid of it, but I found myself yesterday sitting in the uni studio, and saw a squier precision sat in the corner. I thought I'd kill a bit of time while my work bounced down.

God, did I fall in love again! The neck just felt so right in my hand, it was so comfortable to play it was unnatural! I ended up sitting there for about a hour just jamming. I found myself today on my lunch break scouring these forums and ebay, GAS'ing extremely bad for a precision.

It's kind of a good thing my bank account isn't looking brilliant, or I'd more than likely be the proud owner of precision right about now!

Will hopefully get me a CIJ when some money comes my way though

[fretmeister]

I've never owned a P-bass. Closest I got was an old Aria SLB.

Weird really - lots of my fave players use one and I love the sound.

I can't stand the neck dive that has affected every single one I've tried. Balance is the first thing I look for in a bass, sound 2nd, looks 3rd.

Maybe I'll find one someday that I get on with.

[OldGit]

[quote name='fretmeister' post='791801' date='Mar 31 2010, 12:51 PM']I've never owned a P-bass. Closest I got was an old Aria SLB.

Weird really - lots of my fave players use one and I love the sound.

I can't stand the neck dive that has affected every single one I've tried. Balance is the first thing I look for in a bass, sound 2nd, looks 3rd.

Maybe I'll find one someday that I get on with.[/quote]


Do the new ones have neck dive?
Lighter machineheads and wider straps are the answer

[jezzaboy]

Gotta say, I`ve had 2 of the new US p basses and have never had a neck dive problem with them or any other p for that matter. Having said that I always use a wide leather strap (oooerrr) with a suede backing.

Whilst I think they are the classic bass design, I keep buying them and moving them on again as I end up unhappy with the sound but I think that is just down too me! But I have recently built one from all the Fender/Squire parts I had lying around and am enjoying it again.

Jez

Edited March 31, 2010 by jezzaboy